


What I Need From You

by DizzyDrea



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-07 03:24:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/426403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance encounter at the Exotic Spice and Tea Shop forces Nick to come clean to Juliette - about everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've decided that we need more of Juliette being awesome. I also wanted to explore what would have happened if Nick had been able to tell Juliette the truth without the threat of impending doom hanging over their heads. The title for this story comes from the Billy Joel song, _Honesty_ , which also serves as the inspiration for the story.
> 
> Disclaimer: Grimm is the property of NBC, Universal Television, GK Productions, Hazy Mills Productions, Open 4 Business Productions LLC and a lot of other people who aren’t me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

Sunlight poured in through the bedroom window, bathing the room in its early morning glow. It was Sunday; with no place to be and nothing particularly pressing to do, it felt good to just snuggle down under the blankets and enjoy the peace and quiet, something there hadn't been a lot of in the last several months.

Strong arms circled her from behind, drawing her into the other warm body in the bed. Juliette Silverton purred contentedly. She'd never get tired of these lazy mornings, just her and Nick snuggled down under the covers enjoying the warmth and each other's company.

"You got plans today?"

She smiled lazily. "I was planning on going down to the Farmer's Market, but that's about it. Why?"

She felt warm lips pressing into the back of her neck. "I was thinking about going over to the trailer and getting some work done. I thought you might like to go with me, see what I do there."

Juliette froze for just a second before rolling over. She searched eyes she knew so well—or at least thought she had—but saw nothing but Nick's open grey gaze smiling back. After so many months of secrets, she wondered if he was finally willing to open up a little more. He'd taken his aunt's death hard, and she hadn't begrudged him the time to mourn, but she'd felt almost as if, with each passing day, that he was pulling further and further away from her.

Once upon a time she'd have let him slip away. After being kidnapped by that crazy woman, she hadn't been sure she could handle being with a cop. She hadn't known that it would be so hard, or that it would be dangerous for her. Nick had been apologetic, but he couldn't promise it would never happen again, and she wouldn't ask him to make that promise. But walking away would leave a giant hole in her heart, and that pain was worse than worrying about what might happen next.

But just when she'd come to terms with what her future might hold, she'd recognized that he'd begun pulling away. She supposed that some of the blame was hers, because she'd pulled back from him. It had hurt to realize that he was pulling away, freezing her out of parts of his life. Finding the engagement ring had given her hope, but things hadn't gotten better, making her wonder if she'd lost him for good. If it was a choice between losing him or living with the secrets, she wasn't sure which was better. 

And yet, here he was, asking her to join him in a part of his life he'd kept from her.

"Is that where you go?" she asked quietly. "When you're working late, do you go to Marie's trailer?"

He sighed heavily, as if it were still a bit of a struggle to let it go. She ran her hand through his dark sleep-mussed hair. He leaned into her touch, like a cat chasing the hand petting him.

"Sometimes," he said. He flicked his eyes away from her, then back to meet her green gaze. "I want to show you, if you'll let me."

"Of course," she said, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. 

She pulled back, looking deeply into his eyes. He was still a little wary, she could see that, but he wasn't holding back like he'd done for so long. Her heart leaped at the idea that maybe he was finally ready to let her in all the way. She hadn't wanted to say no to his proposal; she wanted to marry Nick Burkhardt more than she'd wanted to do anything in her life, including becoming a Veterinarian. But not if the price was being in the dark about the better part of his life, only allowed to know what he wanted her to.

His expression morphed from trepidation to something more pleased, as if he hadn't been sure what her answer would be. "Great!"

"Tell you what," she said, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling closer. "Why don't we head down to the Farmer's Market and do some shopping. Then we can get lunch and head over to the trailer."

"Sounds good to me," he said, smiling. He leaned in and kissed her once more. 

She leaned into the kiss, wrapping herself around him as she felt the connection between them flare to life. Despite the fact that they had the time, she could sense that these kisses weren't leading anywhere, and she was okay with that. This was more about reconnecting; an expression of the love they shared coming back to life, something she'd feared might not happen. 

"How about I go get the coffee brewing while you grab a shower?"

"You are a prince among men," she said, kissing him one more time before slipping out of bed and heading for the shower. 

She could feel the smile blooming on her lips, and felt the lightness in her step. For the first time in a long time, Juliette began to feel hopeful about their future.

...continued...


	2. Chapter 2

~o~

"So, are you trying to get me lost?"

Nick glanced at her before flicking his eyes to the rearview mirror and then back to the road. "No. Why?"

Juliette smiled. "Because I'm pretty sure there's a faster way to get where you're going."

"Yeah," he said, flashing an apologetic smile. "Force of habit. I'm a cop, remember?"

She reached out and laid her hand on his thigh, squeezing lightly. "No problem."

"We're almost there," he said, lacing his fingers with hers.

They'd taken their time at the Farmer's Market, coming away with a haul of vegetables, some local honey for Nick's tea, a couple dozen eggs and a loaf of homemade bread to have with dinner this week. One of the things Juliette appreciated about living in Portland was the love the locals had for all things organic and farm-fresh. They'd had nothing like this back east, and she wasn't sure she'd ever want to do without, now that she knew what it was like.

Once they'd finished shopping, they'd driven to one of their favorite bistros and had a leisurely lunch. They'd talked about work—his and hers—plus their friends, books Juliette wanted to read and movies Nick planned to drag her to, if he could break away from work. It was so normal, and yet so unusual for them, given all that had happened over the last year. She found herself wishing they could do this more often. She hoped they did. Maybe if they spent more days like this—more days doing normal couple stuff—they could find their way back to the couple they'd been before Marie's death. 

"So, what do you do in that trailer, anyway?"

"Research, mostly."

"Research?" she asked, eyebrow raised. "What kind of research?"

He sighed. "I'm sort of finishing the research Marie was doing before she died."

"Oh?" she asked, curious now. "Was she working on another degree? A thesis maybe?"

"No, not a thesis," he said. He pulled into a driveway and rolled to a stop in front of a large wrought-iron gate. He punched a code into the keypad, and the gate started to roll open for them. Edging the truck through the opening, he drove down the rows until he pulled up beside a familiar Airstream trailer. "We're here."

Juliette just stared at the trailer for a long moment. She remembered finding Nick inside late one night, when Marie had still been in the hospital. It had been chock full of cabinets and books, plus a lot of other stuff she couldn't identify to save her life. She wondered if it'd be just as the other woman had left it, or if Nick had cleaned it out by now. She'd bet on the former, given Nick's allergy to housework.

"You okay?" he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"Yeah," she said, offering a small smile. 

She pushed her door open, joining Nick in front of the truck. She watched him sort through his keys until he found the right one. Once the door was unlocked, he pushed it open and stood aside so she could enter first.

She looked around as she stepped inside, taking in the eclectic room. It really looked larger on the inside than it did on the outside, but not much had changed. The desk was still covered in books; there were vials of liquid on top of a large cabinet, and a messy bed on the other side. There wasn't much dust, suggesting that he spent a lot of time in this trailer.

Turning around, she watched as Nick shed his jacket and sorted through a stack of papers on the desk. She moved closer, trying to see what was on the sheets, curious to know what it was about Marie's research that had caught his attention so fully.

"So, what was Marie researching?"

Nick looked up, giving her a small smile. "Mythical creatures, mostly."

"Was she writing a book?" she asked.

"Sort of," he said.

Juliette rolled her eyes. It was like pulling teeth to get him to talk about this, even though she was in the trailer, looking at the source of Nick's fascination. "You are a fountain of information, you know?"

"Sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm still trying to make sense of all of it myself. There's really no filing system to speak of, much less any kind of index."

"Well, that's odd," she said, frowning. "Your aunt was a librarian."

"I know, but I think part of the problem is that this represents several generations' worth of work," he said. "Not all of them were librarians."

"Several generations?" she asked, incredulous. "You mean, more than one person in your family has been interested in mythical creatures?"

"Apparently," he said. "It's something of a family business. Marie took up where my mother left off, actually."

"Your mother was into this stuff?" Juliette asked, honestly surprised, not just by the fact that his mother had been working on the same project, but also because he almost never talked about his family.

Nick shrugged. "I told you, it's a family obsession."

"Huh," she said. It didn't make any more sense, but she wasn't going to argue. He didn't have any more living relatives; if this was a way for him to stay connected to the ones he'd lost, she wasn't going to begrudge him that. "So, do you need any help?"

"Some of this is in German," he said, smiling. "So, unless you've studied German, you probably won't be able to help much."

"You speak German?"

"Ein bisschen," he said, winking. "A little. Not nearly enough, but Monroe does, so when I hit a roadblock, he's usually willing to help."

Jealousy flashed through her for a moment. It was irrational, she knew, but she couldn't help but be hurt by the fact that Monroe had gotten to share this part of Nick's life with him before she had. She'd liked Monroe, she honestly had, but it still stung that he knew more about her boyfriend than she did.

She shoved the jealousy aside. She was here now, and she was determined not to undermine this fragile fresh start by trying to drive a wedge between Nick and his friend.

"Okay," she said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Would you mind pulling that area together?" he asked. She followed his gaze to the other side of the trailer, where the bed was rumpled and the books were haphazardly tossed about. "I know it's not fair, but—"

"Of course I'll help," she said, cutting off what he was about to say. She knew he didn't believe in 'woman's work', so she wasn't offended by his suggestion. Knowing that he hated housework helped. If this was what he needed from her, she'd give it to him. She pecked him on the cheek, then moved over near the bed, shedding her own jacket. "What do you want me to do with the books?"

"Just stack them up," he said, his attention back on the papers on the desk. "At some point I'll have to figure out a way to sort and cross-reference them, but for now, just having them neatly stacked would be a big help."

"Got it," she said.

She turned back and perused the books. They were all old, leather bound and filled with endless scribbles. She picked up the one lying open on the bed, flipping through the pages. Mythical creatures that she'd only read about in fairy tales jumped off the pages at her. The notes on these creatures were extensive, and the people who'd written them spoke as though they'd actually seen the creatures instead of just read about them in another dusty old volume. 

There was a witch-like creature that she could imagine poisoning the apple that Snow White ate. And some sort of ogre like in Jack and the Beanstalk. There was much more detail in these books than there was in the fairy tales she'd heard as a child. Of course Disney had sanitized the stories he'd translated into films. She'd heard that the originals were much scarier; she'd never read them because she didn't want her childhood memories ruined. Judging by the topics in these books, she'd been right.

She glanced over at Nick. He was now sitting at the desk, making notes in another large, leather-bound book. She smiled. Despite the strangeness of it all, she got the sense that he belonged here, somehow. He was intent on his task, frowning as he sorted through the papers and scribbled in the book. She'd been by the precinct many times, and seen the same look of concentration on his face when he'd been chasing clues to the crimes he investigated. Apparently, he pursued his aunt's research with the same dedication and determination. 

_Well, girl, that's the guy you fell in love with_ , that quiet voice inside her head told her. She smiled, shaking her head as she returned her focus to the task at hand.

She'd noted dates on some of the pages she'd looked at, so she decided to sort the books by date. Not that it would help much if he was looking for something in particular, but at least they'd be sorted into some sort of order. With that thought firmly in mind, she set about collecting all the loose papers and books and got to work.

...continued...


	3. Chapter 3

~o~

They'd spent an hour at the trailer, Nick finishing a few entries while Juliette sorted and organized most of the books in the trailer into date order. She'd noticed that some of the books contained entries on the same creatures, which had gotten her to thinking about some sort of indexing system. It still amazed her that Marie hadn't done it, but she thought it didn't need to be anything fancy like the systems Nick's aunt had used. 

When he'd finished making his notes, he'd taken a brief inventory of the supplies in the large apothecary cabinet. Nick had said that much of it was for herbal remedies and non-lethal chemicals for subduing suspects. Juliette didn't even pretend to understand why Marie had had any of it, much less the non-lethal concoctions. Librarians didn't hunt creatures unless they were on the pages of a book, but then again, she lived out of a trailer. Maybe she used some of it to catch small animals for food when she was too far from civilization. 

She still had questions, even after spending an hour in the trailer and paging through the books in Marie's collection. Nick had never showed interest in mythology before, so she had to wonder what had sparked his interest now. She wanted to ask him, but she wasn't sure how he'd react if she did. Still, she wanted to try to understand.

But that would have to wait. They were on their way to an herb shop that carried a tea she'd seen him drinking from time to time. He'd said it contained a special herbal blend that would help with pain relief whenever he got into it with a suspect. She'd wondered why he'd suddenly taken to drinking tea; now she had her answer.

"How did you find out about this place?" she asked as they pulled up outside the unassuming shop.

"Rosalee's brother used to own it," he said, shutting off the truck and turning to face her. "He was killed during a break-in last spring. Hank and I caught the case."

"Did you catch the guys who did it?" she asked.

Nick got out of the truck and came around to open her door. "Yeah. Turned out to be a couple of drug addicts. Freddy—Rosalee's brother—was dealing in some stuff he shouldn't have been."

"That must have been hard for her," Juliette said as they approached the front door. 

"It wasn't easy," he said, frowning. "He was the only family she had left. But she decided to stick around and run the store while she figures things out. She's nice; you'll like her."

Juliette smiled. She hoped she would, for Nick's sake.

The sign on the door said that this was the Exotic Spice & Tea Shop. Nick opened the door for her, and she stepped inside. Her senses were immediately assaulted with a myriad of scents. The shelves all around the room were lined with jars and containers filled with all sorts of herbs and spices. There were Persian rugs on the floor, muffling their footsteps. All the wood and the spices hanging in the air made the place seem welcoming, somehow.

She followed Nick to the back of the store, where a long counter ran the length of the back wall, Juliette continuing to take everything in. Scattered among all the herbs and spices were more leather bound books like the ones in Nick's trailer. She wondered if they had the same weird research.

A door opened off to the side and a woman emerged, followed by a familiar man in a plaid flannel shirt.

"Monroe!" Nick called out. The two men shook hands, sharing a half-hug. "I didn't know you were here today."

"Yeah, well, Rosalee needed some help, so I volunteered," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He looked over to Juliette, a smile lighting up his face. "Juliette!"

She stepped forward, surprising the other man with a hug. "What are you doing here, Monroe?"

"Uh," he said. Juliette thought it was kind of cute that he was so speechless.

"Rosalee and Monroe have been seeing each other," Nick said, smirking.

"Uh, yeah, yeah," Monroe stammered. "Sort of."

Juliette rolled her eyes. She noticed that his eyes kept darting between the two of them, as if he were waiting for an explanation.

"We've been at the trailer," Nick explained without a word from Monroe.

Monroe's eyebrow went up, and so did Juliette's. That seemed to mean something to both men, though she was at a loss as to what.

"Did you tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

"I told her about my aunt's research," Nick said.

The tone of Nick's voice implied that there was more to his statement than just what he'd said, but maybe that was just the jealousy talking. Monroe had spent time in the trailer with Nick, so it figured he'd know more of what Nick did there than she did.

"Ah," Monroe said, nodding as if he understood.

She still felt like she was missing something, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what. Instead, she turned to the woman behind the counter. She was short, with long brown hair and a sweet, open face. Juliette found herself liking the woman immediately.

Nick turned to the women, making the introduction. "Juliette, this is Rosalee Calvert. Rosalee, my girlfriend, Juliette Silverton."

Rosalee held out her hand and Juliette shook it, smiling what she hoped was a friendly smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Rosalee."

Rosalee returned the smile. "Nick's talked about you. I'm glad I finally got to meet you."

Juliette turned to Nick, raising her eyebrow once again, but he only shrugged, giving her a sheepish smile. She smiled back, rubbing a hand up his arm, trying to let him know that it was okay. And it was; the fact that he'd talked about her with another pretty woman was reassuring somehow.

"So, what can I do for you today, Nick?" Rosalee asked.

Nick smiled. "I need some more of that tea. I'm almost out."

"That's because someone doesn't know when to duck," Monroe said as he came around the counter and settled next to Rosalee, bending over to lean his forearms on the countertop.

All four of them shared a chuckle. Juliette had known since the beginning that, being a cop, Nick would sometimes come home beat up and bruised. She'd thought it would be better because he was a detective, but no such luck.

"Monroe, would you grab some burdock root from the back?" Rosalee asked. "I think I'm out up here."

"Sure," Monroe said smiling at her. He headed back around the counter and towards the room they'd come out of, while Rosalee reached for a jar on the shelves behind her.

"Was the last blend okay?" she asked Nick as she measured out a sweet-smelling herb from the jar.

"Yeah, it was perfect," Nick said.

Juliette tuned the two of them out as they talked about mixtures and ratios, her eyes scanning the room. She noticed a little old lady walk in the store and begin to peruse the shelves. She had no idea what most of the herbs were for, but it looked like the shop was popular at least. Many of the containers weren't full, and there were gaps in the shelves where jars had probably been before they'd been sold. She wondered idly if Rosalee had any spices she could experiment with; Nick was an adventurous eater, so she liked to play with taste and texture from time to time. She'd have to remember to ask before they left.

"Here you go," Monroe said as he swung back around the counter. "It was up on one of the top shelves. I hope it's not too old."

Rosalee stuck her nose in the large jar, inhaling deeply. "No, it's fine. This stuff actually lasts a long time."

"Ew," Monroe said, wrinkling his nose.

"Don't knock it," Rosalee told him. "It's either this or you hurt for days."

"What is it?" Juliette asked.

"Burdock root is a plant that grows in forested areas," Rosalee explained. "It's got pain relieving qualities, but it doesn't taste very good, so I mix it with a couple of different herbal teas." She leaned over the counter, getting closer to Juliette, her voice low as if she were telling a secret. "It's really good for that time of month. I can mix some of my personal blend for you, if you'd like."

Juliette smiled. "I'd like that. Midol is great, but it takes so long to work."

Rosalee nodded as though she knew exactly what Juliette was talking about. "I think you'll like it." Just then, the old woman approached the counter. Rosalee smiled at her. "I'll be with you in a moment."

"Take your time, dear," she said, returning the smile. She turned to Nick and Juliette, smiling at them, but the smile died away almost as soon as her eyes landed on Nick. "Oh! Oh my!"

Her face went pale, a hand coming up to clutch at her chest. And then the strangest thing happened. Her face, skin paper thin and lined with age, morphed into what Juliette could only describe as a mouse, complete with pointy nose and whiskers.

"You're a Grimm!" the old woman said, voice low and tremulous. She began to collapse, her body shaking all over. "Don't kill me! Please, I beg of you!"

Nick reached out to her, but she recoiled, even as she dropped to the floor. Juliette raced around Nick, catching the woman at the last moment, helping her to sit on the floor. She shot Nick a questioning glance, but he was more focused on the old woman.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," he said.

"But—but—" she stammered, even as her face shifted back to normal again.

Juliette took a couple of deep breaths as she reached for the woman's hand, pressing her fingers into her wrist to check her pulse. She might not be a human doctor, but she knew enough about human physiology to know that the woman's pulse was dangerously high and erratic. She knew her own pulse was racing. She'd seen something that was impossible, something she couldn't explain away, but she didn't have time for shock or fear. The old woman was shaking in her arms, still clearly upset over something she'd seen; something to do with Nick. Setting aside her own reaction, she focused on helping the old woman recover.

"I know," Nick said, using his most calming voice. "But I'm not that kind of Grimm. You have nothing to fear from me."

Juliette's head shot up, and she stared at Nick, who was still focused on the old woman. _A Grimm? What the hell did that mean?_

Just then, Rosalee and Monroe appeared at her side. Rosalee knelt down beside the two women as Monroe crouched behind her.

"It's true," Rosalee said, smiling reassuringly. "He's not going to hurt you, I promise."

The old woman turned to Rosalee, the question clear in her eyes. Rosalee's gaze softened, and then her face morphed. Juliette gasped. She had no idea what this woman was, what either of them were, but when she looked at Nick again, he seemed perfectly at ease, as if he saw this sort of thing all the time. Monroe, too, seemed to be unfazed. In fact, she watched in amazement as his face, too, morphed for just a moment before switching back.

"Oh!" the old woman said, her pulse beating wildly as if her very blood were trying to escape her body. "But you're—"

"It's okay," Monroe said soothingly. "I promise I won't hurt you, either."

There were a few moments of tense silence, in which the old woman glanced between the three of them. She craned her head to look at Juliette, who smiled reassuringly at her, which only seemed to leave her more confused.

She turned back to Nick, reaching up to stroke a hand down his cheek. "My grandmother always said we should run if we ever met a Grimm. I've never met one before, but you're not like any Grimm I've ever heard of."

Nick gave a sardonic smile. "I get that a lot."

"What's your name?" Juliette asked, trying to redirect her attention.

"Mrs. Ralph Cavendish. Eleanor," she said. Her heart rate was calming now, her pulse not beating quite as erratically. Some of the color was coming back to her face as well. Juliette was still concerned, but less so now than she'd been a few moments ago.

"Do you think you'll be okay now, Mrs. Cavendish?" Juliette asked her.

She took a deep breath, her pulse settling just a bit more. "Yes, dear. I think so."

Juliette looked up at Nick, giving him a small nod. He and Monroe moved in at her signal and helped Mrs. Cavendish stand up. She could see the woman shrink back for just a second before relaxing and letting the two men help her. Monroe rushed to the back room, Nick following behind him. Monroe returned with a chair, which he tucked under her. Nick emerged moments later with a glass of water that he pressed into her hands. Juliette hovered beside her, checking her pulse a few more times as Rosalee finished pulling their tea together. 

Mrs. Cavendish protested several times that she'd be fine just as soon as she got home, but Juliette wasn't entirely convinced. She should know; she had a feeling she'd just had the same type of severe shock that the elderly Mrs. Cavendish had had. The difference was that she was younger and more able to absorb the shock. _And later_ , she mused, _she could ask Nick what the hell was going on_. She asked Monroe to call a cab for the old woman while Rosalee pulled together her order. In a short period of time, the woman's purchases had been wrapped and paid for, and she'd been bundled off in a taxi for home.

All four of them heaved a sigh of relief, though Juliette suspected that on her part it was for very different reasons. The sooner they got out of the shop, the sooner she could get Nick alone and get some answers. Finally, some ten minutes after Mrs. Cavendish had been sent off, Nick and Juliette were headed out with their purchases amid promises for the two couples to get together for dinner soon.

"I like her," Juliette said as they climbed into the truck.

"Who?"

"Rosalee," she said, rolling her eyes. "She was great with Mrs. Cavendish."

"Yeah, Rosalee's pretty terrific, but so were you," Nick said, smiling at her. "Still, I'm glad you liked her. I have a feeling she's going to stick around for a while. She and Monroe are getting pretty close."

"Which is cute, by the way," Juliette said, smiling back. "I think they'd be good for each other."

"Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match?" Nick said in a sing-song voice.

Juliette frowned at him good-naturedly, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. "No, I just think that he's a nice guy who deserves to find a nice girl."

"Like I did?"

Juliette smiled softly, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his. "Like you did."

They rode the rest of the way in silence, Nick looking at her occasionally, probably wondering why she wasn't peppering him with questions. It wasn't that she didn't have any, but she wanted to be at home where there would be no interruptions. It was time for Nick to explain everything, and she didn't want him distracted when he did.

...continued...


	4. Chapter 4

~o~

Nick settled on the couch beside Juliette, handing her one of the steaming mugs he'd carried in from the kitchen. She took it, breathing in the aroma of her favorite tea. She sipped in silence as she sorted through the myriad questions she wanted to ask, trying to decide which to ask first.

Nick sat silently, sipping his coffee as he waited for her. She knew this moment was huge. There was something going on with him that was bigger than even she'd suspected. Everything that happened at the spice and tea shop that day was testament to that. She wasn't sure she was ready to know, but she did know that until he explained it to her, she'd be on the outside of his life, and she didn't want that.

"So, what's a Grimm, and why was Mrs. Cavendish so afraid of you?"

He raised his eyebrow. She could imagine that he was confused as to why she didn't want to ask about what she'd seen happen to Rosalee's and Monroe's faces, not to mention the little old lady's. And she did want to know, but she was oddly more concerned with why the old woman was so afraid of Nick. She knew she'd get all her questions answered eventually, anyway.

He sighed, relaxing back into the couch cushions. "You've heard of the Brothers' Grimm?"

She nodded. "They wrote the fairy tales, right?"

"Sort of," he said. "As it turns out, the creatures they described in their fairy tales were actually real. They weren't making up stories so much as they were documenting wesen and warning people about creatures that they couldn't see."

"Wait, you mean the Big Bad Wolf is real?" she asked, another shock rippling through her system.

"Monroe would probably take offense at being called that, but yes, the Big Bad Wolf is real."

"Monroe?" She thought back to that moment in the shop when she'd seen Rosalee and Monroe shift. Now that she thought about it, he did look slightly wolfish with his fangs and glowing red eyes. "He's a wolf?"

"He's what's known as a _blutbad_ — _wieder-blutbad_ , actually," he said, shrugging one shoulder. "A reformed _blutbad_. He doesn't eat people anymore."

"Well, that's comforting," she said sarcastically. "So, if he's a—what did you call it? A _blutbad_?" At Nick's nod, she went on. "If he's a _blutbad_ , what's Rosalee?"

"Rosalee is a _fuchsbau_. A fox."

"And Mrs. Cavendish?"

"Mrs. Cavendish is what's known as a _maushertz_ ," he said. "A mouse."

"A mouse," she said. "And this is real. No joke. I actually saw a wolf, a fox and a mouse in the same shop today." She paused, replaying her last statement in her head. "That actually sounds like the opening line to a bad joke."

Nick chuckled humorlessly. "Yes, you really did see it all; it's no joke. I'm actually surprised that you did. Humans can't see wesen unless the wesen in question wants to be seen."

"What's a wesen?"

"Wesen is the term used to describe all the creatures collectively," he explained. 

"And you can see them, too?" she asked.

"Yes, I can see them," he said patiently. "I'm a Grimm; a descendent of the Brothers' Grimm. They were the first to be able to see the wesen. They became wesen hunters, seeking out new species and protecting humans from the ones gone bad."

"That woman was so afraid of you, though," she said. She felt bad for him, in a way. Nick wasn’t the kind to hurt anyone intentionally, but the woman seemed surprised that he wouldn't hurt her.

He sighed. "The Grimm don't exactly have the best reputation. They used to be like the criminal profilers of the wesen world. As I said, they used to observe and catalog wesen and hunt down the bad ones—the ones that were causing harm to other wesen and to humans. But somewhere along the line, the Grimm became corrupt. They started slaughtering wesen indiscriminately, and gained a reputation as hunters and killers. I don't do that."

"Of course you don’t," she said, reaching out to take his hand as pain flashed over his face. She could imagine just how much that might hurt a compassionate man like him. He'd always wanted to help people, so she knew he'd treat the wesen no differently. He was a good man, and becoming a Grimm—whatever that meant—wouldn't change that. 

"It's just—the bad Grimm are all they've know for so long," he whispered. "It's hard to change that."

"You're just one person," she said, setting aside her drink and scooting closer to him. "Just keep being yourself. They'll figure it out."

"Thanks," he said, flashing a small smile.

"So, how long have you known about this?"

He sighed again. "Since just before Marie died. She was a Grimm, too, so when she died I inherited the gift."

"So it passes through family lines," she said. "Were your parents Grimms, too?"

"My mom was," he said. "I only just found out last fall. Marie waited until she was on her death bed to tell me." He paused, taking in a ragged breath. "I wish she'd told me sooner. I've had to learn so much in such a short time, with no one but Monroe to help me figure it out. There's so much to know. I think I'm lucky I've survived this long."

She reached out, running a hand through his hair. "I think you're braver than you know. Marie must have had her reasons, but she also knew that you'd be fine. You're a survivor, Nick. And you're not alone; you have the Big Bad Wolf for a sidekick."

"I don't think Monroe would like being called a sidekick," he said, chuckling. 

"Partner, then," she said. "It sounded like he's backed you up more than once, if I followed that convoluted explanation you two threw at me at dinner."

"Yeah, about that—"

"It's okay, Nick," she said. "I get it. You didn't know how to tell me, didn't know if I'd even believe you."

"Do you?" he asked.

He was looking at her with such hope and fear all at once that her heart broke just a little. She had to say that she didn't think she'd have believed him if he'd told her yesterday what he'd been doing. But today? Today, after seeing everything she'd seen, how could she not believe him? There was a whole world out there that she knew nothing about. Nick had faced it alone but for a lonely clock-maker-slash-wolf and a fox shopkeeper. She hated that he lied to her, but she knew why he'd done it. 

"Yes, I believe you."

He let out the breath he'd been holding as he put down his mug and pulled her to him, enveloping her in a hug. "I'm sorry, Jules. I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I just didn't know how. And how was I supposed to explain it to you when I barely understood it myself?"

Juliette pulled back, looking Nick in the eye. "That stops now, right? No more lies. You tell me, even when you aren't sure how I'm going to react, you tell me. I want to know, I want to understand, but I can't if you won't let me in."

"I know," he said. He reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It's dangerous, being a Grimm. Marie told me I should just leave you, that it would be safer for you."

"That guy that broke into the house was a wesen, wasn't he?" she asked. Nick nodded. "And the woman who kidnapped me? Was she a wesen, too?"

"A _daemonfeuer_ ," he said, nodding. "A fire-breather. Sort of like a dragon. She wanted her father to have a noble death, so she kidnapped you so I'd have to come rescue you."

Juliette squeezed her eyes shut as she leaned her forehead against Nick's. She'd known there was something else going on. Why else would Nick have brought Monroe—a clock-maker, for heaven's sake!—instead of Hank. His being a Grimm had already touched her life and she hadn't even known it. And that wasn't likely to change.

"I won't blame you if you can't stay, Juliette," he said into the silence. "It's a lot to ask of anyone, but you can't even see the danger coming. The wesen look just like you and me until they woge."

"Woge?" she asked, pulling back a little. "Is that German?"

Nick nodded. "Literally translated, it means 'wave'. It describes the change that overtakes a wesen when they transform. It's like a wave of hormones that surge through them and cause their wesen side to manifest."

"When did you learn to speak German?" she asked.

"I didn't," he said. "I've been learning on the fly. Monroe's been teaching me, and I've used some online translation tools when I need to. Thankfully, not all the books are written in German. A lot of them are in English, and I've even found one in Spanish. I guess my ancestors got around."

"So, those books in the trailer, they're like diaries?"

"More like research notes," he said. "My ancestors were meticulous about keeping records. They wrote entries for every wesen they encountered; physical traits, behaviors, weaknesses, natural enemies. With each generation, the research gets more and more complete."

"And today you were adding your notes to the books," she said.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I feel like I have to keep it going, you know? For the next person."

She started at that. "The next person? You mean, if we had kids, one of them might inherit this Grimm thing?"

He looked away, his lips thinned into a line. "Yeah. The oldest surviving relative inherits the gift in each line. I inherited it from Aunt Marie, who inherited it from my mother when she died."

"Why didn't you inherit it directly from your mother?" she asked, curious now.

"I was too young, I think," he said, shrugging. "I don't really know, but that's my best guess."

"There's nothing in your books about the Grimm?"

He shook his head. "Not really something you want to write down, in case the trailer falls into the wrong hands."

"'The wrong hands'?" she asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means I have enemies, Juliette," he said, meeting her green gaze, his grey eyes gone hard. It chilled her a little, to see him so different than the man she'd fallen in love with. "There are those in the wesen world who don't want the Grimm around. They're called Reapers, and they kill Grimm to keep us from killing wesen. It was a Reaper that attacked Marie that first night. I had no idea what he was, just that he was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen, and that he was trying to kill my aunt, so I shot him."

"My god," Juliette said, hand over her mouth.

"That's why it isn't safe for you," he said. "The Reapers have come after me more than once; they're not going to stop until I'm dead. They've already attacked Monroe for helping me. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. That's why Marie told me to break up with you; because it isn't safe. But I couldn’t imagine my life without you. You're the best part of my life, as screwed up as it's become, and I just couldn't let that go."

She leaned back against the arm of the couch, just staring at him. He'd changed over the last eight months; she'd known that, but she hadn't known the reason. Now, she knew. He'd been trying to deal with this new ability he'd inherited and trying to protect her at the same time. She had a feeling there was a lot more to it than this. If the Reapers were a danger, then there were probably others. She needed to know, she needed to understand everything if she was going to be forced to choose.

"I understand, Nick," she said, leaning forward to caress his cheek. "But I think you'd better explain the rest to me. I can't understand if you don't let me in."

He nodded, taking her hands in both of his. And for the next three hours, he told her everything he knew about the wesen and the world he now lived in.

...continued...


	5. Chapter 5

~o~

Nick sat at his desk, staring at the monitor, lost in thought. Oddly, he wasn't thinking about his current case, or the wesen he was supposed to be tracking. His thoughts were still on Juliette.

It had been a week since he'd come clean about what was going on. They'd talked for over three hours, and he'd explained everything about the wesen and the Verrat, the Lauffer, the Seven Royal Houses and the Grimm—and he wasn't even sure he understood how they were all interconnected, but he'd tried to help her understand just the same—everything he could think of, including all his wesen-related cases. He'd even told her about Bud the _eisbiber_ , as well as all the other wesen friends he'd made. She'd asked questions when appropriate, but otherwise, she'd let him talk himself hoarse.

And then, nothing. They hadn't talked about it since. She hadn't asked any more questions, hadn't made any more comments. Life had gone on as before. He got up and went to work, and so did she. It was as if he hadn't told her at all. It left him confused and worried. Was she in some sort of denial? Did she not believe him and was just biding her time until she could leave?

He shook his head, trying to chase away the questions. He'd wanted to tell her. He'd wanted to tell her for a long time, but he just couldn't seem to do it. He'd rehearsed what to say so many times that he had the whole thing memorized, down to the last word. But whenever he'd tried to get the words out, they simply wouldn't come. 

Monroe hadn't been any help, either. He'd said it was a bad idea to just show her what he really was, that people had been committed to psychiatric facilities after seeing a wesen's true face, and he didn't want that to happen to Juliette. Nick thought she'd be able to handle it, but he couldn't be sure.

Still, he'd wanted to tell her, especially after the _murciélago_ case. Secrets had destroyed that family, and he didn't want that to be him and Juliette. He still hoped to marry her one day, so he had to hope that telling her the truth would help close the gulf that had grown between them. 

And then that fateful day in Rosalee's shop, when the old woman freaked out when she realized what he was. Juliette had seen her face shift, which surprised him. He'd thought no human could see a wesen unless the wesen wanted to be seen. Monroe had speculated that the old woman had less control of herself than a younger wesen, and being so taken off guard had caused her control to slip nearly completely. It was as good an explanation as any.

He'd watched Juliette carefully during the whole crisis, surreptitiously of course, trying to gage how she was handling it. She'd seemed to take it all in stride, no panic or anger even though he could see the suspicion in her eyes whenever she looked at him, like she knew he knew more about what was happening than what he was letting on. He'd been glad that she'd waited until they were at home to start the conversation. If she was going to yell at him for keeping this a secret, he'd rather it happened in the privacy of their own home.

But she hadn't yelled; she'd just peppered him with questions, pulling every last detail out of him. He was a little proud of her for how well she seemed to be dealing with this unexpected new development. But he had no way of knowing just how well she was handling it, because she hadn't talked about it all week. He hoped that no news was good news, but he simply wasn't sure.

"Hey, you okay?" Hank asked as he passed behind Nick's chair.

Nick looked up, giving his partner a half-smile. "Yeah, just thinking."

"Well, think on this," Hank said as he reached for his jacket. "We've got another victim."

"Where?" Nick asked, even as he pulled his coat on and grabbed his phone and gun from his desk.

"Over on Spring Street," Hank said, already on his way out of the room. "This one's still alive."

"He didn't kill her?" Nick asked as he made to follow Hank out.

"Yeah, she managed to get away, but it looks like the same guy."

He could read the hope on Hank's face, which probably mirrored his own. The rapist they'd been chasing had already attacked two women, both of whom hadn't been nearly as lucky as their newest victim. The attacks were brutal, the women beaten and bruised almost beyond recognition. He suspected a wesen, but they had no real evidence or eyewitness reports until now. Nick wanted to catch the perp before another woman lost a fight with a wesen she couldn't hope to beat.

"Damn," Nick said, coming to a screeching halt. He was supposed to be home tonight, for dinner with Juliette. He needed to call her to explain, but he'd rather his partner not overhear. Hank Griffin was many things, but stupid he was not.

"You forget to call Juliette or something?" Hank asked, proving to Nick once more that his partner was psychic.

"Yeah. We were supposed to have dinner tonight."

"Go home, then," Hank said. "I got this covered."

"Let me just call her," Nick said. "I'll meet you out at the car."

"Suit yourself," Hank said, waving him off as he headed for the stairs.

Nick pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number, waiting impatiently as the phone rang.

"Hey, Nick," he heard Juliette's sweet voice through the speaker.

"Hi, Jules," he said. "Listen, there's been another attack. I'm headed out there with Hank now. I don't know how long it'll be. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm going to make it home for dinner."

"It's okay, Nick, really," she said, and he could hear the smile in her face. "Do you think it's wesen-related?"

"Yeah, I think so. Some of the forensic evidence from the first two crimes makes me think it's not a human," he said. "We have a witness this time; the victim managed to get away, so hopefully we'll have something more to go on. But, after I leave the crime scene, I'm going to need to stop by the trailer; I think I remember seeing an entry for the wesen that might be responsible."

"You want me to do it?"

Nick paused, hardly believing he'd heard what he'd heard. "You'd do that?"

"Sure," she said, the smile clear in her voice. "I had an idea for an indexing system, so I was thinking about going over there anyway. Just tell me what I'm looking for."

"Okay," Nick said, letting out the breath he'd seemed to be holding for the last week. Maybe things would be okay after all. "That first night, after Marie was attacked, I was paging through a few of the books. I remember seeing an entry for a _mordsteir_. I think that's what we're looking for, based on the viciousness of the attacks. But I can't remember which book it was in."

"A _mordstier_?" she asked.

"It looks like the Minotaur from Greek mythology," he said. "They're prone to violence, especially towards women, according to Monroe. He doesn't know a whole lot about them, which is why I needed to check the books."

"Have you gotten a look at him yet?" she asked. "Maybe on a security tape?"

Nick smiled. He was impressed. She was thinking like a cop, or maybe it was that she was thinking like a Grimm. Either way, he hadn't known until right now just how much he'd needed her acceptance and approval.

"Neither of the first two places that women were attacked had any video surveillance," he said. "I'm hoping this victim will remember something. Listen, I've got to go. Give Monroe a call if you need any help. He's got this weird love affair with the trailer; he actually likes the research."

He heard her laughter through the phone line. "Go on. I've got this covered. I'll text you when I have something. And I'll pick up something for dinner on my way home. Deal?"

"Deal," he said, grinning. "And Jules?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," she said softly. "I love you. Now go be super-cop."

"Love you, too," he said.

He disconnected the call, staring at his phone for a long moment. He couldn't believe that she'd been so eager to help. It gave him hope that maybe their relationship was really okay, after everything that had happened. He'd been afraid she'd think he was a raving lunatic when he finally did tell her. Instead, she was offering to help. He shook his head, jogging down the stairs and out to the car.

"Everything okay?" Hank asked as he slipped into the passenger side and locked his seatbelt in place.

"Yeah," he said, a stupid grin lighting his face. "Everything's fine."

"Spoken like a man who has an angel waiting for him at home."

"You don’t know the half of it, partner," Nick said.

Hank merely shook his head as he started the car and pulled out into traffic. Nick knew he didn't understand, and unless he decided to tell his partner, he might never understand just what had happened tonight. But that was okay. Nick knew. He knew he'd reconnected with the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with, and he was never going to take that for granted again.

~Finis

**Author's Note:**

> For more extensive notes on this story, [click here](http://dizzydrea.livejournal.com/36421.html).


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